DATA CENTER TRENDS
Enterprise data centers have traditionally focused
on data storage and preparation for disaster recovery,
but they do not always meet the fluctuating demand
for real-time, multi-user data retrieval. In today’s
evolving digital market, there are more users and more
data. This growth puts pressure on data centers to
facilitate faster data transmissions for an increasing
number of internet users worldwide. In the face of big
data, data center operations are shifting from storage
to the real-time analysis and processing of data based
on demand.
Consequently, organizations are turning to blockchain,
a system that acts as a digital record-keeper, utilizing
multiple hardened data centers around the world to
verify changes to data sets. Blockchain will reinforce the
need for secured infrastructures based on networks of
data centers. According to the Research and Markets
research firm, the market for blockchain is set to jump
from $1.2 billion in 2018 to $23 billion by 2023, in part
40 I ICT TODAY
TRANSFORMING
DATA CENTER
ARCHITECTURE FOR
TOMORROW:
Blockchain
and the Cloud
By Anthony Robinson,
RCDD, CDCDP, CNIDP
due to the development of enterprise-facing applications
and services outside of traditional finance and
transaction functions. Data centers must adapt to
new business strategies.
In order to pave the way for technologies like this,
large data centers are evolving their digital
infrastructures, driven by the rapid growth of cloud
computing. Many companies, including internet giants,
are increasing investments in data centers both
domestically and abroad to ensure they are ready for
the next generation of cloud services. However, they
need the right infrastructure in place to ensure the rapid
and seamless transmission of data, voice, and video to
an increasing number of users. They also need a secure
way of keeping track of sensitive data. For these reasons,
many data centers are transitioning from current 3-level
tree network architectures to a spine-and-leaf network
architecture, which can accommodate blockchain
systems and increasing data processing demands. But
what does this shift entail?